Beowulf in the Sky: Beowulf as an Astronomical Myth reveals the famous Beowulf poem as a metaphor for annual celestial events. The poem functioned as a calendar long before printed material was generally available. The characters in the poem correspond to constellations and planets while the story line follows the drama of the celestial changing of the seasons. In the ancient world the position of the stars was the determinate factor to mark time. The poem was used as a mnemonic to allow the public, by knowing the sky and following the story, to know the date. Advanced civilizations must know the time; otherwise they starve. The Beowulf poem told them the time in a way they could remember. Look up. Beowulf is in the sky.